Understanding Human Rights: Principles and Protections
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights serves as a model of ethical conduct because it establishes clear values, outlines rules that must be fulfilled, emphasizes the importance of respecting rights, and advocates for the protection of freedoms.
Generations of Human Rights
- First Generation Rights: Focus on freedom.
- Right to life.
- Rights to freedom of conscience, thought, opinion, and movement.
- Second Generation Rights: Defend equality.
- Right to work.
- Right to healthcare.
- Right to culture and education.
- Third Generation Rights: Defend solidarity.
- Right to peace.
- Right to a healthy and enduring environment.
Negative Consequences of Human Rights Violations
- Discrimination: Disrespecting human rights disregards the principle of equality before the law, allowing those in power to make arbitrary decisions. This leads to unjust differences between classes, genders, and religions, establishing a system where the strongest prevail.
- Insecurity: Without legal protection, individuals are at the mercy of tyrants who can eliminate their enemies. Dictatorships often remove legal guarantees, allowing them to act without oversight.
- Poverty: Assets are distributed unfairly, leading to the exploitation of some countries by others and the spread of corruption.
- Violence and War: When the rights of others are not acknowledged, conflicts are resolved through force, violence, and, in the case of international disputes, war.
Citizen Attitudes
- Accountability: Being responsible means acting consciously, considering the consequences of one’s actions, and fulfilling duties towards oneself and others. Responsible citizens must also be well-informed.
- Solidarity: A feeling that connects us to others, recognizing our need for mutual respect and collaboration. It involves accepting rights and common responsibilities and is demonstrated through development actions.
- Justice: A good citizen must be fair, impartial, and objective in their judgments, striving to understand what is just and what enhances the protection of ethical values.
- Participation: Citizens should be participatory; knowing what to do is useless if it is not done.
Types of Duties
- Duties imposed by law: Just laws require our compliance because they contribute to a common ethical project. Justice may compel compliance.
- Duties imposed by a promise or contract: We must fulfill these because we have committed to them and to avoid causing harm to another person.
- Duties resulting from the project we want to build: Failing to uphold these duties can lead to injustice, suffering, and a negative historical legacy.
Ineffective Solutions
- Judging a person’s rights based on their usefulness.
- Determining what constitutes a life worth living.
- Individualism that ignores responsibilities to others.
- Transferring all responsibilities of vulnerable citizens to the State.
Effective Solutions
- Recognizing that the right to life implies the right to a dignified life.
- Acknowledging social rights and the responsibility of society to fulfill them.
- Establishing a culture of responsible citizenship.
- Implementing a robust social security system.
Everyone has the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, old age, or other loss of livelihood in circumstances beyond their control. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance.
Protection of Human Rights
Nationwide: The Spanish Constitution refers to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, meaning that all laws in Spain must align with it.
Internationally: Protection systems have been developed:
- United Nations (UN): Launches activities to advocate for human rights, promotes their knowledge and development, and leads the international movement to defend them.
- European Court of Human Rights: European citizens can appeal to this court if their national courts do not recognize their rights.